Acute lung injury (ALI) is a clinical disease marked by respiratory failure due to disruption of the epithelial and endothelial barrier, flooding of the alveolar compartment with protein-rich fluid and recruitment of neutrophils into the alveolar space. ALI affects approximately 200,000 patients annually in the USA and results in approximately 75,000 deaths. It is associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation, intensive medical care, high morbidity and mortality, and rising healthcare costs. Owing to its impact on public health, great strides have been made towards understanding the pathobiology of ALI to affect outcome. This review will focus on the role of the epithelial cell in the pathogenesis and resolution of ALI and the role of various inflammatory mediators in ALI.
Keywordsβ2-agonist; acute lung injury; acute respiratory distress syndrome; chemokine; cytokine; epithelial cell; inflammation; methylprednisolone; neutrophil; salbutamol; steroid; ventilator-induced lung injuryAcute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) was first described in 1967 by Ashbaugh and colleagues in a group of 12 patients who shared a constellation of clinical symptoms including acute respiratory distress, hypoxemia refractory to supplemental oxygen, decreased lung compliance and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates [1]. Since this first description, the clinical criteria have evolved to include acute onset of respiratory distress, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates seen on chest radiographs, absence of left-sided heart failure and hypoxemia, with the severity of hypoxemia distinguishing ALI and ARDS (Box 1) [2]. Extrapolating from recent epidemiologic studies using these criteria, ALI affects about 200,000 patients annually in the USA and results in approximately 75,000 deaths [3]. This disease, which can be caused by common events such as pneumonia, sepsis and trauma, results in high morbidity, mortality and healthcare expenditures associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and intensive care. Because of its impact on public health and patient outcomes, great strides have been made towards understanding the pathobiology of ALI.When defined broadly to include all processes related to defense against microbes, other environmental insults and injury, a wide variety of cell types and proteins participate in inflammation and immunity. Leukocytes are the paradigmatic inflammatory cell type, but they are not the only cells that function in defense and immunity. The epithelial lining of all tissues forms a continuous barrier to the environment and is the first line of defense against infectious agents and toxins. Though specialized to serve distinct functions among tissues, epithelial cells respond similarly to injury and infection, and regulate leukocyte influx through the production of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines and other factors that modulate chemokine gradients and effect leukocyte migration. This review will focus on the role of the pulmonary epithelium and inflammatory mediators in ALI. More s...